What Dreams May Come
by Ariadne Quinn
Summary: What if Carpenter didn't die...what if he returned with Alice through the Looking Glass...? One-shot.


What Dreams May Come

He awoke with a start, then relaxed back into the familiar cushions of his easy chair. He felt…funny. Not himself. Stifling a yawn with his left fist, the wristband of his watch briefly shone in the dark room, calling for his immediate attention. The hands proclaimed it was 3:15, but the darkness beyond his windows said otherwise. He held his wrist to his ear and listened. Nothing. Lowering his arm, he tapped on the glass face gently, but the second hand refused to move.

Broken.

Again.

Robert Hamilton shifted where he sat, stiff from a nap that lasted too long…in a chair that wasn't meant to be slept in. It was only when he took a moment to survey his study that he noticed her on the floor. The lamp on his desk across the room provided just enough light to cast ominous shadows on the wall in front of him, each beam skillfully slithering around various objects that impeded its path. The darkened strips formed a monstrous claw that held his little girl in its grasp. He rose and approached her carefully, so as not to wake her. She was sprawled on the wooden floor in her favorite dress…the blue one with white eyelet lace around the neck and on the sleeves…she called it her "Alice in Wonderland" dress. Not far from her outstretched hand lay the book itself, face down, open to somewhere near the middle. Robert knelt beside her and brushed the hair out of her face, then went to retrieve a blanket. That's when it struck him.

He didn't remember how they ended up like that.

In fact, he couldn't remember anything about that day.

Disturbed and distracted by these thoughts, he returned to the study, but didn't re-enter. As he lingered in the doorway, he glimpsed a sudden flash of movement; his eyes darted to its source – it was his own reflection in the mirror hanging over the chair he had fallen asleep in.

It was then that the memory of his dream washed over him like a tidal wave, its strength causing him to grab the doorframe to steady himself. It was like no dream he had ever had…spanning not hours or days, but years…years spent as the head scientist of a lab…toiling under the supervision of a madwoman…draining people of their emotions just so she could get her kicks.

But it was just a dream.

Wasn't it?

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

He moved to answer it, but something made him pause. Turning around, he studied his sleeping daughter…10 years old. She should be twice that age. He stopped himself. There was another knock.

The idea that had popped into his head was overwhelming, but he forced himself to follow it to completion. She should be in her twenties. He had met her, all grown up, in his dream. She had come to rescue him…

The next knock helped him tear his eyes away from her. In the process of looking away, he accidentally caught his reflection's eye briefly. _"This is wrong,"_ it seemed to say.

Shaking his head, he quietly slid the door to the room shut before heading towards the sound. Even though it was late, and even though he hadn't entirely cleared his mind of the cobwebs left behind by his unexplained slumber, he opened the door without hesitation. He didn't ask who it was or look through the peephole…his hands merely unfastened the locks and turned the doorknob.

The men standing in the hall were neither expected nor welcome. But their presence was not entirely a surprise.

"What do _you_ want?" he demanded, keeping the door partially between himself and his visitors.

"We need to talk…" the taller one began.

"There's nothing to talk about." Robert's voice shook a little as he spoke, completely undermining whatever confidence he intended to project. "Just leave us alone."

He tried to close the door, but the shorter man stuck his foot out, preventing him from doing so. "I'm sorry, sir, but we're gonna have to insist."

Robert's shoulders sagged, defeated. As much as he'd like to, he couldn't deny them…it was perfectly clear that refusing them entry was not an option. He backed up, opened the door wide, and gestured that they should come in.

The blonde one, Jack, entered first. He wore a white suit, bright red dress shirt, and a black tie. Thankfully, the glare from his white shoes diminished somewhat when he stepped into the dimly lit apartment. He stood in the entranceway, patiently waiting for the other to follow his lead.

The shorter one had wild hair partially restrained by the hat on his head; it was an odd color for a hat…similar to the deep burgundy hue of a ripe loganberry. His expression was equally wild, his eyes darting suspiciously around him as he stepped across the threshold. His suit jacket, which matched his hat, was paired with black slacks and black boots. Beneath the jacket he sported what appeared to be a silk shirt, silver, and a burgundy, black, and silver paisley tie. Unlike his companion, who was calm, cool, and collected, several of this one's shirt buttons had been unfastened, and his tie was so loose it was threatening to come completely undone. Robert thought this one's name was Hatter.

"This isn't possible," Robert muttered as he led them to the living room – the furthest room in the apartment from his study.

"You remember, then?" Jack asked. "That's good…"  
Robert snapped around when they reached their destination. "Good? Good? You think it's good that figments of my imagination just up and knock on my front door in the middle of the night?"

"He's got a point," Hatter commented.

"You're not helping," Jack replied.

"You're not doing such a bang up job yourself," Hatter pointed out.

Robert racked his brain…he vaguely remembered them on sight, but he had to really concentrate if he wanted to unearth anything more than rough sketches of their characters. "Will you two stop bickering and give me a minute to think?"

Jack and Hatter fell silent and looked at him. They watched as he dug deep into his mind, searching the rapidly vanishing details of his dream. Jack…the blonde one…he had been Alice's boyfriend. She followed him to Wonderland, and eventually he's the one who reunited them. But he had lied to her, repeatedly…she understood his position, but couldn't excuse his dishonesty. She told her father that she appreciated everything Jack had done for her, but she couldn't stay in a relationship built on a convenient fiction. Before they had returned home, she told Jack as much. The young man seemed to take it relatively well….

And then there was Hatter. Alice had simply glowed when she spoke about him…had gushed about him with such joy in her heart, such light in her eyes…Robert was surprised at the clumsy farewell they bade each other. The silences that stretched on during their wooden exchange spoke volumes about how they obviously felt, yet neither was willing to voice their emotions.

"It was all real, wasn't it?"

Jack took a step towards him. "I'm afraid so."

"But…"

They were interrupted by the addition of Alice, who had followed the sounds of their heated discussion upon waking up from a very strange dream. Sleepily stumbling into the room, she searched their faces, looking for her father. "Daddy…?"

Jack and Hatter froze, mesmerized by the sight of the adolescent girl who stood where a grown woman should be. They stared at her for a full minute before exchanging a troubled glance. Things were worse than they thought.

"Well, this is…" Hatter began softly, moving closer to Jack so Alice wouldn't overhear.

"Awkward?" Jack suggested.

Hatter lowered his voice further. "I was gonna say 'creepy'…"

"It's ok, Jellybean, these are two of daddy's..." He was reluctant to continue; he didn't want to say it, but he had to reassure Alice. "…friends."

Suddenly fully alert, she examined the strange men with an eerie intensity, her eyes taking in every feature. "They were in my dream."

All three of the adults stiffened at her words, but Alice didn't seem to notice. She approached Jack. "_You_ lied to me," she accused, shaking her right index finger at him as she put her left hand on her hip. "I don't like you."

"Now, honey, don't be silly…"

"He did," she insisted. "I was all grown up and…"

Robert cut her off sharply. "It was just a dream, Alice. And you're being rude to my guests."

"That's all right," Jack said. "I…"

Hatter cut him off before he accidentally said something to traumatize the little girl. "He understands. We've all had dreams that can be mistaken for reality."

Just like the adult she would grow into, this Alice was tenacious. "It wasn't a dream, I _was_ a grown up and he _did_ lie to me, and…"

"That's enough," Robert said, his voice stern.

She crossed her arms dramatically and made a face, but didn't speak again.

"Hatter, why don't you entertain young Alice while I speak with Mr. Hamilton?"

Alice perked up at Jack's suggestion. "I could show you my room!"

Hatter shot a dirty look at Jack for increasing the freak factor exponentially, but couldn't argue with his reasoning. Especially since his frayed nerves appeared to be soothed by her presence. "Sure…"

She reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the other two. "Come on…"

"Only for a couple minutes," Jack promised quietly.

"Time is catching up with us," Hatter warned, allowing himself to be dragged out of the kitchen and down the hall. He followed her in silence, suddenly curious about the before-child…the one that existed prior to her father's supposed desertion, an event which would cause her world to be forever crushed. As they approached her closed door, she let go of his hand and raced ahead of him, eager to show him the treasures within. She flung open the door and ran inside.

"Come on," she urged, waving him in.

Her bedroom was…very different from what he had imagined. There was lots of pink and lace…stuffed animals galore…her four poster bed even had a canopy over it. There was little of grown Alice to be seen in the sickeningly girly nightmare before him. Everything screamed "Daddy's Little Princess." He was forced to ask himself if Robert's kidnapping had been to his daughter's advantage…

"Look," she ordered, pointing to a high shelf on her bookcase. "That's my crystal ball. I can see the future in it."

Hatter crossed the room and reached up, lifting the glass globe carefully. "Woooooow…really?" he asked with fake excitement. "Can you show me?"

He placed it in her outstretched hand as she nodded vigorously. "Now pay attention."

She shook the globe as hard as she could, making small white specks jump chaotically around in the water within. "Crystal ball, crystal ball, show what happens to us all." She stopped shaking and gazed deep into the sphere. "You…you are far from home, yes?"

"That's not the future," he complained lightly. "That's the present."

"You're in great danger here," she continued as the specks fell to the bottom of clear orb.

Alice didn't know how right she was. Time was coming…he was gaining on them. He would arrive soon. Tick-tock, tick-tock, time was always at your heels…time was the one thing you couldn't escape. There were all kinds of time, of course…nap time, tea time, play time, supper time, day time, night time, good times, bad times…bed time…

"Did I scare you?" she asked, breathless, her eyes wide with wonder.

"No," he replied, forcing himself into the present.

"Because…" she leaned forward and whispered, "It's all pretend. This is just a snow globe. Don't tell anyone, though. Mom and dad think it's real."

Hatter smiled. "Your secret's safe with me."

"I know," she said matter-of-factly, handing the globe back to him.

He replaced in on her bookshelf while she climbed onto her bed. "What shall we do now?"

"Let's play a game."

"How about tea party?"

Alice scrunched up her face. "I'm too _old_ for that."

Hatter held up his hands. "Ok…sorry…would you like me to do some magic instead?"

She clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Yes!"

He went on to perform any number of impossible feats – hat tricks and card tricks…a couple of juggling moves he happened to know. Alice was fascinated, stopping him often to demand he repeat the trick so she could try and figure out how he did it. But he was too fast for her, and she quickly became frustrated. "Let's do something else."

"Like what?"

Before she could answer, Jack barged into the room. "It's no use…we should go."

"Get outta my room," Alice growled from her perch at the edge of her bed.

They both ignored her. "We have nowhere to go," Hatter replied. "Time is almost upon us…he must be convinced."

"I've tried, but…"

"I'll do it." He walked over to Alice, then crouched beside her. "I have a very important job for you…I need to talk to your daddy for a bit, but I don't want Jack getting in the way. Do you think you can keep an eye on him for me?"

Whether the child was aware of his true intention or not, she accepted the responsibility. "For you…"

Hatter rose and headed for the door. "Play nice," he instructed on the way out.

In spite of her earlier assertion that "big girls" don't have imaginary tea parties, Hatter overheard her chattering about doing just that as he made his way down the hall. He briefly entertained the thought that she had done it on purpose to get a rise out of Jack…but didn't have the time to seriously consider it.

Time.

Time was running out.

He found Robert in the kitchen. Grabbing a marker that was attached to a notepad on the refrigerator, he drew two long parallel lines horizontally across the cream-colored wallpaper.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Robert asked angrily.

He didn't bother to answer. "This," he began, pointing to the bottom line, "is your world. And this," he raised the marker to touch the top line, "is my world." Then he took the marker and drew a diagonal line that grew out from the bottom line and made its way towards the other one. "This is where we are now."

Robert approached the wall and studied it. "One more time."

Hatter repeated the explanation, pausing between the statements to allow the other man to take each one into account. When he was done, he drew one more diagonal line, this one originating from the Wonderland line and heading towards the Oyster's. "This is where I'm from."

"You're talking alternate dimensions," Robert said slowly, in disbelief.

"I prefer 'tangent universes,' but I suppose it's all the same."

"I'm vaguely familiar with the concept…but it's all theoretical. The chances of one existing is slim to none…two is nearly impossible. You'd need some kind of catastrophic event to achieve something of this magnitude…"

"You and Alice went through the Looking Glass together." Without Alice in the same room, Hatter could gradually feel his previous anxiety returning.

"I don't understand."

Hatter didn't have time to explain, but he decided he was going to anyway…he suspected this is where Jack's pleas had failed – in the details surrounding this particular situation. "You and Alice came through the Looking Glass 10 years – in your world's time – apart….you never should have returned together. It…warped time somehow, affected both our worlds."

"If that were true, you shouldn't have noticed a difference."

"Yes, yes, you're right of course." Hatter began to pace, his jitters back in full force. "But…I _do_ remember the change. Everything is normal, you and Alice go through the Looking Glass, then ***BAM*** I'm sitting in my office enjoying a cup of tea."

"That doesn't necessarily mean…"

"Nothing's the same!" he cried, growing desperate. "I remember what Wonderland was like before Alice came, and I remember what it was like when she was there…but after the two of you left, _everything_ changed. The past, the present…all of it's wrong! Different people, different places, different things…" He sat down at the kitchen table. "Jack was the only other one who noticed, who remembered. I think it's because we were the closest to Alice. He came to see me at the Tea House…to ask me if I knew what he knew…to see if we could come up with some kind of solution…"

"I still don't see the connection."

"Charlie's dead. I know that doesn't mean anything to you…but it would to Alice. Not the Alice in the other room, not Alice of yesteryear…my Alice. She'd care. She'd do something about it if she could."

Robert sat across from him, but said nothing.

"Listen…these worlds are going to collapse on themselves…tangent universes are notoriously unstable. Maybe they'll take the originals out with them…or maybe they'll expand again, and we'll be trapped in an endless loop, repeating this madness over and over and over again."

"Have you considered the possibility that the tangent universe of one world might collide with the original version of the other?"

Hatter straightened up and turned towards his graffiti. "That's just a rough sketch…the tangents could be pointing in any direction…"

"But it's possible?"

"I guess."

For a moment, Robert seemed to give serious thought to this hypothesis. In fact, he nearly brought up the fact that the two tangents could crash into each other…but that was just the scientist in him getting the better of himself. "This is ridiculous."

Hatter's foot started tapping uncontrollably. "You don't get it…without you, the Queen must turn to other, more sinister forces to harvest her Oysters." He closed his eyes against the horrors in his mind. "I've never agreed with the harvest…but at least your methods were relatively humane. At least you prolonged their lives as long as possible. Now…emotions are forcibly, painfully ripped from Oysters. They're tortured and killed quickly, so they must be replaced on a daily basis." He shuddered and looked Robert in the eye. "Without you, there is so much needless suffering…"

Robert shook his head. "I'm sorry, but this has nothing to do with me."

"It has everything to do with you…and Alice." He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. "Part of what made her so strong, so independent, was the fact that you left. She had to grow up quickly to survive that. That little girl in the other room…she's ok. But you dote on her too much…you spoil her. She won't grow into the same woman."

"You don't know that."

"I know that more and more Oysters need to be abducted every day…and that drastically increases the chances that you, your wife…or Alice will be taken. That's simple math. There'll be no warning…like your own disappearance…one minute you're here, ***poof*** the next minute you're gone, snatched through a mirror, evaporated…vanished into thin air."

Hatter abruptly stopped speaking and perked up, concentrating. His brow furrowed with apprehension. Robert tried to figure out what he was doing…it took him a minute to realize that he was listening for something. He listened too, but when he couldn't discern anything out of the ordinary, he spoke. "How do I know you're not just being selfish?"

Hatter nearly fell out of his chair. "Excuse me?"

"If I'm not taken to Wonderland, Alice will never come looking for me…you'll never meet her. Neither of you will."

Knocking down the chair as he stood, Hatter ignored the accusation. "He's here, he's here…he's nearly here…" He began pacing again, muttering to half to himself. "You can have lots of free time…or not enough time…you can waste time and even kill time…and time takes it all in stride…but when you _murder_ time…he doesn't like that at all. No…time will catch up with you, time will make you pay…"

"What on Earth…?"

His eyes shone feverishly as he approached the other man. "Do you know what I had to do to come here?" He waited for a response, but received none. "DO YOU?"

Robert shook his head.

"I…this is all my fault, you know, so it was up to me to fix it…you and Alice…you came to Wonderland separately, but you left together…and that fractured time in both places. To travel from one world to another is one thing…but to jump from the _future_ of one tangent universe to the _past_ of another tangent…that's something else entirely." He grew still, straining to hear something unperceivable to Robert. "I didn't just kill time…I murdered him. Not to save them, not to save you…not even to save myself. To save _her_." He resumed pacing. "You think I'm being selfish…that's a laugh…no matter what you decide, she'll never be mine…the tangents will either collapse or repeat if you don't go back…they'll cease to exist if you do. _I_ will never again see Alice." His voice dropped to a remorseful whisper. "She will never be mine. I will never be hers. I'll never know what might have been."

It was strange the way the fact and fiction of Wonderland had interwoven themselves to create the reality before them. Robert believed Hatter's claims despite his increasing resemblance to character whose name he had adopted…he wondered if that made him crazy too. "So it all goes back to the Looking Glass…"

Hatter picked up the chair and placed it across from Alice's father, forcing himself back into it, full of quiet excitement. "Yes and no."

"What the does that even mean?"

"Jack and I…we went over everything that happened…and we think we've been able to pinpoint the exact moment it all went to hell…."

"Where?"

He hesitated, but time was of the essence. "We've decided that you were never meant to leave Wonderland."

"But Alice…"

"Alice was meant to go there…to find you, to make you remember…but…" he trailed off and jumped up again. "I ruined it all, you see..." He pointed at the wall. "I did this! I was too attentive and too quick and too worried that something would happen to her…" Taking a deep breath, he sat down once more. "Do you remember when Walrus came into the room?"

"I didn't see him at first…it was only after you shot him…"

"There. That's it. That's where it happened….the fateful mistake. He should have shot you."

"But…"

"There are no ifs, no ands, no buts…we've been over it a million times…we had to be sure before we left…you should have died on the floor of that casino."

It was a difficult notion to accept, but Robert forced himself to contemplate it…because Hatter's words rang with a kind of inescapable truth. "I was never meant to come back…"

"I'm sorry."

"How can we make sure this doesn't happen again?"

"I honestly don't know…I did it to protect Alice…it was instinct. If I were to hesitate…it's still possible she could be hit."

"I'll have to move in between them," Robert thought aloud.

"That…might be enough. The sudden motion would distract me, and it's unlikely the bullet would pass through you…."

Robert's resolve faltered…facing one's own death wasn't easy for anyone. "I don't know…"

Hatter shot up again, this time nearly taking the entire table with him. "Time…he's here for me at last!"

This time, Robert heard it…the sound of the doorknob jiggling, as if someone was trying to get into the apartment.

Hatter gave him a hurried explanation as he led him to Alice's room. "Time is many things…he acts different ways in different places…and he's always everywhere all the time. Wonderland time is different from Oyster time is different from time in a black hole…but Wonderland is his home, you see. It's where he came from…so he is a person _and_ a thing there…"

Hatter threw open the door to a disturbing sight. Jack was sitting on the edge of Alice's bed, pondering her snow globe, while the girl lay on her back, eyes closed, arms folded neatly across her chest. He had grabbed Jack by the lapels and slammed him against the wall before Robert fully processed the scene. "What did you do to her?!?"

Jack remained the picture of serenity, placing the snow globe on her dresser, which was within his reach. "I gave her a drop of forgetfulness…don't worry, it's perfectly safe…pilfered from my mother's secret stash…"

He screamed in Jack's face. ""What did you do that for?"

"Regardless of what happens, she can't very well remember this visit, can she?"

Hatter threw him to the floor, disgusted. "You _always_ do the wrong things for the right reasons…and you _always_ think the ends justify the means…"

A noise from the hall prevented him from continuing…it was the front door swinging open. He looked at Robert. "There's nothing more to say…think about everything we discussed…you have until 6:15." He ran to the window and opened it. "No one…no one can escape the ravages of time…eventually he comes for us all…"

He climbed out and let go. Robert felt a strong draft whoosh by him, as if someone had run past. . .he rushed over to the window, but Hatter was gone.

"Don't worry," Jack said, getting up and brushing himself off. "He most likely survived the fall…and he's still got a bit of a lead over time. I'll just let myself out."

A few seconds later, he heard Jack close the door behind him…

He awoke with a start, then relaxed back into the familiar cushions of his easy chair. He felt…funny. Not himself. Stifling a yawn with his left fist, the wristband of his watch briefly shone in the dark room, calling for his immediate attention. The hands proclaimed it was 3:15, but the darkness beyond his windows said otherwise. He held his wrist to his ear and listened. Nothing. Lowering his arm, he tapped on the glass face gently, but the second hand refused to move.

Broken.

Again.

It was then that he realized that something had woken him…the sound of the door closing…the dream came back to him in a flash. He looked down at his 10 year old daughter, sound asleep on the floor next to her beloved book. When the clock in the living room struck the quarter hour, he knew. It was time. Time had come for him now.

That was fine with him. He'd made his decision.

He smiled sadly, then chuckled at the insanity of it all.

Behind him, ripples swept across the surface of the decorative mirror hanging on the wall…


End file.
